by Jaleta Clegg
"But they aren't. How much trading do you really do? Why do you keep having to work for Lowell if you don't want to?"
"I do as much trading as I want. We inherited business interests on at least a hundred worlds. Money isn't a problem anymore. And I only work for Lowell when I can't avoid it. I definitely don't do it for the money."
"See? You do have a conscience. You do care."
"Only sometimes," I answered.
He waved me silent. We both heard voices and footsteps in the main hall.
"Good night and sweet dreams," he whispered. He squeezed himself into the closet and pulled the door shut.
Lilliasa breezed into the room. She was smiling until the door shut behind her. Her smile disappeared. She yanked her earrings off and threw them at the table.
"I loathe him. I loathe all of them." She dropped into the chair in front of the table. I started unweaving the strands of jewels from her hair.
"It didn't go well?" I asked.
"It went perfectly," she said, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. "I charmed Gyth and the others completely. They think I'm as stupid as I am short." Her smile had crocodile teeth. "They'll learn."
"I'm sure they will," I murmured as I brushed out her hair.
Chapter 30
I didn't sleep well. I was nervous about Lilliasa finding Will in her closet. I was also nervous about the upcoming plans. Shadita grumbled about my restlessness. She finally trotted across the room and slept in a chair, curling up on the cushioned seat.
Morning finally came, light growing slowly beyond the window. Lilliasa stayed asleep, rolling over away from the light. I got up quietly and eased the door to the closet open.
Will blinked. I signaled him to be quiet. He nodded and got stiffly to his feet. Shadita watched us suspiciously as we crossed to the window. Will looked out, carefully keeping out of sight of anyone outside. There were a few people stirring, but it was mostly quiet.
"It's been a delight," Will whispered to me. "But not an experience I think I'll repeat very soon." He grinned as he slipped over the sill and into the street beyond. He walked quickly away.
"Who was that?" Lilliasa asked behind me.
I jumped at least a foot, my heart racing.
Lilliasa sat up in the bed. Shadita trotted over to her and scrambled onto the bed. Lilliasa leaned back, running her fingers through Shadita's long hair.
"Who was he?" she asked again. "And why was he hiding in my closet?"
"One of Sylena's slaves," I answered.
"What was he doing here? Are you plotting with her against me?"
"He came to bring me a message last night. And no, I'm not plotting against you. You're my best chance out of here. Why should I ruin that?"
"And tonight?"
"I made contact. It will happen as you've planned." I was only stretching the truth a little.
Lilliasa smiled. I wasn't fooling her.
"You will do as you are bid, or your friends will all die," she said. "Go fetch me breakfast."
"Yes, des Shira," I murmured.
I left the room and found my way to the kitchens.
My best chance was, as Will put it, to steal the ship and run for help. I was really the only one who could possibly fly one of their ships. I had to make it on to the ship tonight. I had to get away. And then I had to convince Lowell to bring the Fleet. That worry was so far in the future that I could safely ignore it for now. Just concentrate on getting through the day, I told myself.
The kitchen staff was barely stirring. It was early. I waited in a corner while they cooked breakfast. I was given a tray for Lilliasa and a tray for Shadita. I had no idea when or if I was getting breakfast.
Tuarik was in the entry hall when I came out of the kitchens. He was talking with three other men. None of them looked happy. They didn't even look at me as I hurried past, steaming trays balanced precariously in my arms.
Lilliasa lounged in the chair near the dressing table. She frowned at herself in the mirror. I slid her tray in front of her. Shadita danced around my feet, cheeping and bouncing up and down. I put her tray on the floor. She buried her face in the pile of greens and munched happily.
"Do I look too young to you?" Lilliasa asked.
"Too young for what?"
She looked at me, eyes narrowing. "You aren't very old yourself, are you? How old are you?"
I had no idea how to translate Empirical time into her time scale. Each system had its own day length and year length.
"Answer me," she snapped.
"I don't know how to translate the time."
She didn't like my answer but she accepted it. She turned back to the mirror, twisting her hair up on her head.
"After tonight," she said softly, "It won't matter what they think. It won't matter if they say I'm still much too young. I'm old enough to be auctioned off to the highest bidder as a wife, I'm old enough to rule them all."
I went to her closet, selecting her clothes for the day.
"Not the yellow," she said. "Bring me the dark blue."
The dress she wanted was severe in cut and fit. It had no flounces, no extra ribbon or lace. There was a single spray of flowers embroidered over the left shoulder, picked out in a delicate pale blue. I'd done it in one evening. Lilliasa had me pin her hair tightly to her head.
She frowned at herself in the mirror. "Was my father out there?"
"He was in the entry. He didn't look happy about something."
She smiled, a cruel twist of her lips. "Your friends are a few hours early. It must be." She stood. "We'll go sit in the courtyard and hear what rumors are circulating. Father can't object to that."
I didn't say that her father could and would object to just about anything that didn't fit his plans. I collected Shadita and followed Lilliasa outside.
It was hot already, the air dry. The plants drooped. Lilliasa settled in a chair near the fence, under the shade of a tree. People walked past the courtyard in a steady stream. Most ignored us, hurrying on their errands. The ones strolling were the richer ones. A few stopped to greet Lilliasa.
"Have you heard?" one young woman asked. "They say the slaves have gone mad. Just the humans. Must be something in their food." She glanced sideways at me. "What do you feed yours, Lilliasa? Has she shown signs of becoming violent?"
"She's tamer than Shadita," Lilliasa said and leaned forward, towards the fence. "Tell me what the stories are. I've heard nothing here. Father keeps me closeted away so much." She sighed dramatically.
The other woman leaned over the fence. "They say many of them broke their collars and escaped. They're loose and dangerous." She was flushed with excitement, not fear. "They are calling for help in catching them."
"Will it stop Conclave tonight?" Lilliasa had just the right touch of concern in her voice.
"Does anything stop Conclave?" The other woman pulled a face. "Not that it matters to you now."
"Your marriage was arranged years ago, Desyrus," Lilliasa commented, leaning back in her chair.
"A good match," Desyrus agreed smugly. "I hear Gyth is quite well placed," she said, a crumb of pity for Lilliasa.
"Quite," Lilliasa said smoothly.
"Will you be at the dinner tomorrow?" Desyrus asked.
They gossiped for a while longer, trading veiled barbs. Desyrus finally left, strolling away on the arm of one of the high ranking men.
"Idiot," Lilliasa muttered. "Stupid, vacuous idiot."
More time passed with similar visits. Lilliasa played the dilettante well, lounging in the shade, sending me for cold drinks and a fan. I sat on the ground and brushed Shadita. The creature lay on her belly, panting in the heat. We heard more versions of the rumor, many of them wild and unbelievable. As the day passed the rumors grew more vivid. Lilliasa smiled smugly at me.
There were rumors of slaves at High Festival getting loose. I knew who they were talking about, but I said nothing to Lilliasa. She could guess who the man in her closet had been. And why he'd been there
. As long as she thought I was playing her game, I'd be safe. I kept quiet.
The sun was beginning its agonizingly slow crawl down the afternoon sky when Tuarik came to the courtyard. He studied us as we sat under the tree and finally nodded, satisfied with Lilliasa's behavior.
"The fights begin this afternoon," he said as he joined her in the shade. "I wouldn't want to deny you all amusements. Gyth has agreed to accompany you."
"I look forward to it, Father," Lilliasa said demurely.
"He will be here soon. I have other business to attend to. I'll join you tomorrow."
"You always have business," Lilliasa pouted prettily.
"That is why we have women, to remind us men how very hard we work."
I was tempted to bite his ankle. I suppressed the urge.
"Bradoc can escort you around later," Tuarik said. "Gyth is needed at Conclave. Your future husband will be one of the new Triad," he added with a conspiratorial wink.
"I am very pleased," Lilliasa said.
Not for the reasons Tuarik believed, I knew. Tuarik smiled approvingly and took his leave.
Lilliasa stood and shook out her skirt. "Gyth will be here soon," she said mockingly. "We mustn't keep him waiting."
He arrived not long after Tuarik's visit. Lilliasa greeted him with a smile. I tagged along behind them, unnoticed. Shadita was left in Lilliasa's room to sleep.
The fights were held in a large temporary structure some distance from the buildings. Seats circled a round area that was completely fenced. Gyth led Lilliasa to a spot on the front row under a wide canopy. Cool air drifted down from the sunshade overhead. Lilliasa sat in a cushioned seat next to Gyth. I sat on the ground at her feet. The fenced area was only an arm's length in front of me.
The rest of the seats filled up. A man stepped out into an area bent into the fence, on the outside. He banged a round of metal three times, producing a ringing sound. A buzz of excitement ran through the crowd.
There were two tunnels leading into the fenced area. The one to my left was opened. A man was shoved through. He carried a long stick, sharpened on one end. He moved warily to the center of the space. The other tunnel was opened. A huge creature, all fur and teeth and claws, erupted into the fenced space. The man went down under the creature's charge. Its growls were loud, blood curdling and vicious. The crowd cheered the beast. The man with the stick beat the creature back, limping away from it, blood running down his leg. His white tunic was torn and bloodied. The crowd cheered louder. He rushed the beast, stabbing with the stick. The creature yowled and backed away.
I looked down, sickened. It was brutal in the cage. I tried to ignore the screams and growls. The fight went on, cheered by the crowd. The creature staggered, its fur stained with blood. The man wasn't doing much better. One arm dangled uselessly. And still the crowd egged them on, screaming for blood when they tangled a final time. The man won. Barely. He staggered up from the still carcass of the beast. He made it to the tunnel before he collapsed and was dragged away.
"These humans are quite intriguing," Gyth commented to Lilliasa. "They almost give the impression of being intelligent. They fight well."
"They are quite bright," Lilliasa agreed. She patted me on the head. "But still biddable and easily trained."
"True," Gyth agreed. "They only take the most aggressive ones for the fighting pens."
The dead creature was dragged out of the pen. The man with the gong came out and signaled another fight. This was between one of the other alien races and a flat creature that looked like a cross between a snake and a frying pan. The creature won. Its handlers had to beat it away from the body of the slave it was eating.
The afternoon crawled by. Fight after fight, a dozen in all, were fought in front of me. Most of the slaves were human. All were matched against one kind of animal or another. The smell of blood hung heavy in the air. I was glad I hadn't eaten. My stomach twisted at the smells and sights. Lilliasa was enjoying it, as were the other Trythians in the audience.
"Tomorrow's fights promise to be even better," Gyth said as they cleaned up the last fight. He helped Lilliasa to her feet. "They have new fighters, more of these humans. Better than today's. Tomorrow they pit them against each other."
I kept my face neutral. I hid the helpless anger I felt at his comment. This wasn't right, any more than keeping people as pets.
"Would you like to see them?" a young man offered Gyth. "Preview of tomorrow's fight?"
"Could we?" Lilliasa asked, begging Gyth and the youth.
"This way," the youth offered.
We were led into a sloping tunnel. It opened underground into a wide flat space. The roof was low. A single skylight lit the area. There were cages ringing the space.
"The best of the fighters are given breeding privileges," the youth said. He led them across the wide area. "These are some of our best. They proved very skilled."
"Are they the humans I've heard so much about?" Lilliasa asked innocently.
"No, these are Jijuians. The humans are kept over there." The young man waved to one side, to a cluster of cages on my right. "We have eight different species here. We had one of the Sessimoniss last year, but they proved difficult to keep alive. Too particular about their food."
He turned to another cluster of cages. Gyth was right with him, asking questions about the care of the fighting slaves. Lilliasa hung on his arm. She looked back at me and motioned to the side with her head. I nodded back at her.
I had my wire, stiff in my belt. These slaves wore no collars. I slipped into the cluster of human cages.
There were nine of them. I stopped near the door of the third cage. Vance sat inside. He looked hopelessly up at me.
I pulled out my wire. It only took a few seconds to have the door of his cage unlocked. I left it latched.
"Tonight," I whispered. "Get out and run for the hills. The others are escaping. Go with them, Vance."
"And the others here?" he asked. "Tomorrow we get to kill each other."
"I heard. I'll unlock the doors, but you can't move until tonight. They'll catch you if you try before then."
"What's happening tonight?" Vance asked. He stood quickly and stopped me from moving to the next cage by catching my hands. "How will we know when to move?"
"It's complicated," I answered. "There are several dozen other slaves here who will run tonight. When you hear the commotion, get out."
"What of the others?" Vance asked.
"I'm unlocking their cages now," I said.
"Not just the humans, Dace."
"I'll do what I can." It was the best I could give him.
"Lowell wasn't lying about you," Vance said with a ghost of his old smile. He squeezed my hands and let go.
I moved quickly to the next door. And the next. I managed eight of the doors before I heard Lilliasa make a comment about feeding slaves. I was out of time.
"Give me the wire," the man in the cage I'd just unlocked whispered. "I can unpick the rest."
I turned my back to him, trying to look innocent as I slid the wire into his hold.
"There you are, Pooki," Lilliasa said as they came past the cluster. "She must be missing her own kind."
"More likely she's attracted to them as breeding material," the young man said.
I didn't break his teeth like I wanted to. I ducked my head and hurried to Lilliasa, falling into step behind her.
They talked breeding all the way back up to the arena. Gyth was enthusiastic about the man's plans for breeding even better warriors. The talk made me sick and all the more determined to succeed tonight. We were animals to them, not intelligent equals. Their women were little better. I could tell Lilliasa was as angry as I was at their implied superiority. She hid it well. She hung on Gyth's arm, pretending to be excited about his plans.
The sun was low in the west when Gyth took his leave.
Lilliasa was sent to her room by her father. She went obediently. But once there, she paced nervously, glancing out the window e
very few moments at the slowly setting sun.
"Conclave begins at sunset," she said. "The meeting of the Triad and the Electoriate. If Mayguena has done her part, we have little time to wait."
She stopped pacing, staring out at the sun as it slipped slowly under the horizon. The last sliver disappeared. She whirled around.
"It's time," she announced as she pulled open the door to her room. "Don't forget your promise, Dace."
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry.
I followed her out of the house. She walked quickly down the road to the entrance of the huge stone building. She stopped several hundred feet away, slightly upslope.
A muffled thump shook the ground. A single plume of smoke rose from the building. Everyone near us stopped and stared, gaping at the crumbling stone.
A figure staggered out of the doors, shoving one open.
"Conclave is broken," someone said loudly. Ripples of talk spread through the crowds gathering.
"They're dead," someone else shouted.
"The slaves are going crazy!"
Shouts and screams sounded from the fighting arena. Attention wavered between that and the dissipating smoke. I could feel the tension growing in the air.
"Go, quickly," Lilliasa said to me.
I nodded and hurried away, trying to look as if I'd been sent on an errand. I had been, just an errand that was not as innocent as I was trying to look.
I was halfway to the house when another blast shook the ground under my feet. I stumbled. A gust of hot wind blew past me. I picked up my skirt, hiking it above my knees, and ran for the distant space port.
There were growing shouts and screams in the night. Sounds of fighting split the evening, clashing of hand weapons and the sharp sound of shooting. Something exploded behind me, a bright blaze of fire lighting the night. I ran faster, my bare feet not even feeling the rocks I stepped on.
I was dimly aware of other people running the same way. The Trythians I saw looked confused. I ran past them, fixed on the goal of the space ships rising ahead.
There was a fence around the space port, a high construction of wire. The single gate was wide open. The guards lay still on the ground, sprawled lifelessly. Lilliasa had promised they would not be a problem. I slowed halfway down the hill, gasping for breath. The space port was bathed in light. It was impossible to sneak into a ship.